Rotational mop

ABSTRACT

A rotational mop includes a handle, a mop head and a plurality of cotton cloths. The mop head includes an installation disc, having a circular gutter formed on a top side of the installation disc, and a top side of two gutter walls is a serrated structure, and the cotton cloths are installed into the circular gutter and the serrated structure. The mop head further includes at least one serrated element embedded into the circular gutter, and a concave shape formed by a bottom side of the serrated element clamps the plurality of cotton cloths into the circular gutter in an M-shaped form. The installation disc can be connected directly to a bottom side of a turntable, or connected with a ring body first and then embedded into the bottom side of the turntable, so that the cotton cloth can be rotated together with the turntable in 360 degrees.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a rotational mop, and more particularlyto a mop having cotton cloths fixed at a mop head capable of rotating in360 degrees, and engaged with the mop head in an M-shaped form forpreventing the mop head from falling out.

2. Description of the Related Art

Mop is a common tool used for cleaning a floor, and a traditional mop isgenerally comprised of a handle and a cotton cloth fixed to the bottomof the handle, and the traditional mop is generally operated by applyingforces back and forth on a tilted handle, and driving the cotton clothto move back and forth on the floor in order to clean the floor.

However, a force is usually applied to the traditional mop to drive thecotton cloth at the bottom of the handle to be in contact with thefloor, and thus the cleaning effect is limited to the area where thecotton cloth is in contact with the floor only, and the cleaning effectof the mop is very limited. After a long time of use, the contactportion of the cotton cloth becomes dirty, and users have to change thedirection of the handle in order to contact the floor with anotherportion of the cotton cloth for a continual cleaning effect. Obviously,the traditional mop is not convenient at all. Furthermore, a jointbetween the handle and the cotton cloth of the traditional mop usuallycomes with a large size, so that the mop cannot be used for cleaninghard-to-reach spots such as wall corners, table legs or crevices underobjects effectively, and the application of the traditional mop islimited. Since the handle and the cotton cloth of the traditional mop donot have any special design, therefore a dirty cotton cloth will nolonger have the effective cleaning effect anymore, and users have todiscard the whole mop, and thus the prior art wastes resources.

Even though the traditional mop can overcome the aforementionedproblems, yet no special design for connecting the cotton cloth with themop head is found in the common rotational mops available in the marketto overcome the problem of having the cotton cloth pulled away andseparated from the mop head easily. As a result, the traditionalrotational mop has a short life expectancy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to overcome theshortcomings of the prior art by providing a rotational mop, whose mophead and cotton cloth can be rotated in 360 degrees, and the cottoncloth is engaged securely by the mop head in a M-shaped form to preventthe cotton cloth from falling out.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a rotational mop of theinvention includes:

a) a handle, composed of at least one section of rod, and a pivotinghead installed at an end of the handle;

b) a mop head, pivotally coupled to the pivoting head; and

c) a plurality of cotton cloths, fixed at a bottom end of the mop head;characterized in that the mop head further comprises:

i) an installation disc, having at least one insert hole and apenetrating hole formed thereon, a circular gutter disposed at the topside of the installation disc, wherein a top side of two gutter walls ofthe circular gutter is a serrated structure, and the cotton cloth isinstalled in the circular gutter and the serrated structure;

ii) at least one serrated element, provided for being embedded into thecircular gutter, and the bottom side of the serrated element forming aconcave shape, such that the plurality of cotton cloths are clamped andfixed into the circular gutter in a M-shaped form;

iii) a turntable, having a connecting hole disposed at the center of theturntable, and at least one protruding pillar disposed at the bottom ofthe turntable, and disposed at a position corresponding to the inserthole of the installation disc for coupling the protruding pillar withthe insert hole; and

iv) a connecting component, for connecting the turntable with thepivoting head, such that the turntable is a structure capable ofrotating 360 degrees with respect to the handle, and the cotton clothcan be driven to rotate 360 degrees together with the turntable.

According to the invention, the protruding pillar disposed at the bottomside of the turntable is integrally formed with the turntable.

Moreover, the protruding pillar disposed at bottom side of the turntableis formed independently at the bottom side of a ring body, and apenetrating hole is formed at the center of the ring body, and the ringbody has a n-shaped cross-section, and a bump is formed at an externalside of the ring body, and provided for being embedded and latched intoan internal side of a wall of the turntable.

Besides, the connecting component includes an installing element and alatch element, and the installing element includes a pivoting base and aplurality of latch notches. The installing element has an externalperiphery substantially larger than the connecting hole, such that thepivoting base is protruded out from the connecting hole. The installingelement is installed into the penetrating hole. The latch elementincludes a through hole and plurality of elastic latches, wherein afterthe pivoting base is protruded out from the connecting hole and thethrough hole, the elastic latch is latched into the latch notch, and thepivoting base and the pivoting head are engaged with each other into apivotal connection form, such that the turntable is clamped and fixedinto the installing element and the latch element.

Furthermore, the connecting component is comprised of an installing bodyand at least one latching body, and the installing body is pivotallycoupled to the pivoting head by a lug base formed at the top side of theinstalling body. A concave circular gutter is formed at an externalperiphery of the installing body, and the latching body is comprised oftwo symmetric casings, and the latching body includes an embeddingsemicircular necking portion disposed on the internal side of thelatching body and opposite to the concave circular gutter, such thatwhen the two latching bodies are integrated with each other, the twolatching bodies are covered onto the external periphery of the concavecircular gutter to define a structure capable of rotating in 360 degreeswith respect to the handle. The latching body includes a plurality oflatch portions disposed at the external periphery of the latching bodyand coupled with the plurality of latch holes disposed on the peripheryof the connecting hole for installing and fixing the latching body andthe turntable, so that the turntable can be rotated in 360 degrees withrespect to the installing body and the handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is an exploded view of a mop head in accordance with a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is an exploded view of a mop head in accordance with a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a mop head in accordance with afirst preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a mop head in accordance with asecond preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a rotational mop in accordance to afirst preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is an exploded view of a rotational mop in accordance to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is an exploded view of a portion of a mop head of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3D is an exploded view of a portion of a mop head of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4A is a schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordanceto a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is another schematic view of installing a rotational mop inaccordance to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an assembled rotational mop inaccordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordancewith a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B another schematic view of installing a rotational mop inaccordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C is a perspective view of installing a rotational mop inaccordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of an assembled rotational mop inaccordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a handle of a rotational mop in accordancewith another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1A for a mop head 20 in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention, the mop head 20comprises: an installation disc 21, having at least one insert hole 211and a penetrating hole 212; a circular gutter 213 disposed on a top sideof the installation disc 21, wherein the top side of two gutter walls ofthe circular gutter 213 are substantially serrated structures 214; aplurality of cotton cloths 30 installed in the circular gutter 213 andthe serrated structure 214, and an exploded view this structure which isthe installation disc 21 before the serrated element 22 and theplurality of cotton cloths 30 are installed as shown in FIG. 3C, whereinthe serrated element 22 is in an arc shape provided for being embeddedinto the circular gutter 213, and the serrated element 22 is installedbetween different insert holes 211. A concave shape 221 is formed at abottom side of the serrated element 22, such that the plurality ofcotton cloths 30 can be clamped and fixed into the circular gutter 213by an M-shaped form as shown in FIG. 3D.

The concave shape 221 is provided for strengthening an engaging forcefor clamping and fixing the plurality of cotton cloths 30 into thecircular gutter 213, while increasing the elastic space of the pluralityof cotton cloths 30 along a longitudinal direction. The concave shape221 can be either U-shape or V-shape as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D or anyother irregular shape as shown in the figures, and the U-shape and theV-shape can be arranged equidistantly or non-equidistantly.

The turntable 23 includes a connecting hole 231 and at least oneprotruding pillar 232, wherein the protruding pillar 232 is installed ata position corresponding to the insert hole 211 for coupling theinstallation disc 21 and the turntable 23, wherein the serratedstructure 214 is provided for increasing a frictional force between theturntable 23 and the installation disc 21 for enhancing the engagingforce between the turntable 23 and the installation disc 21.

In this preferred embodiment, the protruding pillar 232 at the bottom ofthe turntable 23 is integrally formed with the turntable 23. The presentinvention is not limited to such arrangement only, but the protrudingpillar 232 can be formed at the bottom side of a ring body 23 aindependently as shown in FIG. 1B, and a penetrating hole 233 is formedat the center of the ring body 23 a, and the ring body has asubstantially n-shaped cross-section, and a bump 234 formed at theexternal side of the ring body 23 a and provided for being embedded andlatched into an internal side of a wall of the turntable 23.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1A and 1Brespectively, wherein FIG. 2A shows that the installation disc 21 isfixed to the bottom side of the turntable 23, and FIG. 2B shows that theinstallation disc 21 is fixed into an n-shaped body at the bottom sideof the ring body 23 a, and then the bump 234 at the external wall of thering body 23 a is used for latching the bottom side of the turntable 23which is fastened and positioned by the bottom edge of a wall 235. Theadvantage of the aforementioned structure resides on that if it isnecessary to replace the cotton cloth 30, users simply remove the ringbody 23 a without a need of removing the turntable 23.

From the aforementioned technical characteristics, it is known that themop head 20 of the present invention adopts a M-shaped structure forengaging the cotton cloth 30 securely without the risk of falling out,in order to improve the using life of the mop, and cope with the use ofdifferent connecting components and handles, and a preferred embodimentof the invention is given below.

With reference to FIG. 3A for a schematic view of a rotational mop ofthe present invention, the rotational mop 100 comprises a handle 10, amop head 20 and a plurality of cotton cloths 30, wherein the handle 10is comprised of at least one section of rod 11, and a pivoting head 12installed at an end of the handle 10 and pivotally coupled with the mophead 20, and the plurality of cotton cloths 30 are fixed at a bottom endof the mop head 20.

With reference to FIG. 3B for an exploded view of a rotational mop 100of the present invention, the mop head 20 comprises an installation disc21, at least one serrated element 22, a turntable 23 and a connectingcomponent 29, for connecting the turntable with the pivoting head, suchthat the turntable can be rotated in 360 degrees with respect to thehandle.

The connecting component 29 further includes an installing element 24and a latch element 25, and the installing element 24 includes apivoting base 241 and a plurality of latch notches 242, wherein theinstalling element 24 has an external periphery slightly larger than theconnecting hole 231, such that the pivoting base 241 is protruded fromthe connecting hole 23, and the installing element 24 is installed inthe penetrating hole 212. The latch element 25 includes a through hole251 and a plurality of elastic latches 252, wherein after the pivotingbase 241 is protruded from the connecting hole 231 and the through hole252, the pivoting base 241 is pivotally coupled to the pivoting head 12,and the elastic latch 252 is latched into the latch notch 242, such thatthe turntable 23 is clamped and fixed between the installing element 24and the latch element 25, and the elastic latch 252 is fixed to a bottomedge of the latch element 25.

In this preferred embodiment, the pivoting base 241 can be a C-shapedbuckle composed of an elastic structure, and the pivoting head 12 can bea circular bump corresponding to the C-shaped buckle.

With reference to FIG. 4A for a schematic view of installing arotational mop in accordance to a first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, after the plurality of cotton cloths 30, theinstallation disc 21, the serrated element 22 and the turntable 23 arecoupled, and the installing element 24 is installed in the penetratinghole 212, the pivoting base 241 is protruded out from the connectinghole 231 and the through hole 251, while the elastic latch 252 islatched into the latch notch 242 as shown in FIG. 4B, and the pivotingbase 241 is pivotally coupled to the pivoting head 12.

With reference to FIG. 5 for a cross-sectional side view of an assembledrotational mop in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the bottom edge of the turntable 23 can be used forpressing the serrated element 22, such that when the serrated element 22is embedded into the circular gutter 213, the serrated element 22 cannotbe moved in a longitudinal direction. The protruding pillar 232 isconnected with the insert hole 211 by an adhering, latching, embedding,riveting, abutting, clamping or high-frequency welding method. Theelastic latch 252 is an inverted hook device. In the rotational mop 100of the present invention, the cotton cloth 30 can be rotated in 360degrees together with the turntable 23 by the structural design of themop head 20 and the cotton cloth 30.

In the rotational mop of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5, themop head 20 further includes a bottom protective base 26 disposed at thebottom of the turntable 23, such that the bottom protective base 26 canbe rotated together with the turntable 23. The bottom protective base 26can be used for preventing the cotton cloth 30 from being rolled intothe turntable 23 when the turntable 23 is rotated in 360 degrees due tothe reaction force, so that the bottom protective base 26 can prevent adirect contact of the installing element 24 with the floor, so as toimprove the using life of the installing element 24.

With reference to FIG. 6A for a schematic view of installing arotational mop in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, numerals used for representing elements in thisembodiment are the same as those used for the same elements orequivalent elements of the previous preferred embodiment, and thus willnot be described here again. In this preferred embodiment, theconnecting component 29 is comprised of an installing body 27 and atleast one latching body 28, wherein the installing body 27 has a concavecircular gutter 271 disposed at an external periphery of the installingbody 27, and the installing body 27 pivotally coupled with the pivotinghead 12 by a lug base 272 at the top side of the installing body 27includes two lugs 12 a and screws 12 b extending into the lug base 272.The latching body 28 of this preferred embodiment is composed of twosymmetric casings, and an internal side of the latching body 28 oppositeto the concave circular gutter 271 is embedded with a semicircularnecking portion 281, such that when the two latching bodies 28 areintegrated with each other, the two latching bodies 28 are covered ontothe concave circular gutter 271 as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C toconstitute a structure capable of rotating in 360 degrees with respectto the handle 10. The latching body 28 has a plurality of latch portions282 disposed at an external periphery of the latching body 28 andprovided for connecting the plurality of latch holes 2311 formed at theperiphery of the connecting hole 231 of the turntable 23, so that theinstalling body 27 and the latching body 28 are installed into theconnecting hole 231.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6C, wherein the latchingbody 28 and the turntable 23 are installed and fixed in such a way thatthe turntable 23 can be rotated in 360 degrees with respect to theinstalling body and the handle.

The latching body 28 includes a plurality of connecting portions 283coupled with one another and disposed at an end of the latching body 28and corresponding to the internal side of the latching body 28, and theconnecting portion 283 can be a protrusion or a recession, and coupledby an adhering, latching, embedding, riveting, abutting, clamping orhigh-frequency welding method.

With reference to FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a handle of a rotationalmop in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the handle 10 of the rotational mop 100 can be formed byscrewing a plurality of rods 11, and the handle 10 further includes ahanging loop 13 and at least one protective cover 14, wherein thehanging loop 13 is provided for facilitating users to hang therotational mop 100 onto any accessory mechanism, and the protectivecover 14 is provided for reducing the uncomfortable feeling of a user'sgrip.

With the special design of the rotational mop in accordance with thispreferred embodiment, the cotton cloth can be rotated freely in 360degrees, so that each portion of the cotton cloth on the mop head can becontact uniformly with the cleaning area, and users need not to changethe direction of the handle for achieving a consistent cleaning effectof each cotton cloth, and users can rinse the mop head all at a timedepending on the extent of dirtiness to save time for the user's moppingjob.

Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiments of theinvention can, of course, be carried out without departing from thescope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and theuseful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limitedonly by the scope of the appended claims.

1. A rotational mop, comprising: a) a handle, composed of at least onesection of rod, and a pivoting head installed at an end of the handle;b) a mop head, pivotally coupled to the pivoting head; and c) aplurality of cotton cloths, fixed at a bottom end of the mop head;characterized in that the mop head further comprises: i) an installationdisc, having at least one insert hole and a penetrating hole formedthereon, a circular gutter disposed at the top side of the installationdisc, wherein a top side of two gutter walls of the circular gutter is aserrated structure, and the cotton cloth is installed in the circulargutter and the serrated structure; ii) at least one serrated element,provided for being embedded into the circular gutter, and the bottomside of the serrated element forming a concave shape, such that theplurality of cotton cloths are clamped and fixed into the circulargutter in a M-shaped form; iii) a turntable, having a connecting holedisposed at the center of the turntable, and at least one protrudingpillar disposed at the bottom of the turntable, and disposed at aposition corresponding to the insert hole of the installation disc forcoupling the protruding pillar with the insert hole; and iv) aconnecting component, for connecting the turntable with the pivotinghead, such that the turntable is a structure capable of rotating 360degrees with respect to the handle, and the cotton cloth can be drivento rotate 360 degrees together with the turntable.
 2. The rotational mopof claim 1, wherein the protruding pillar disposed at the bottom side ofthe turntable is integrally formed with the turntable.
 3. The rotationalmop of claim 1, wherein the protruding pillar disposed at bottom side ofthe turntable is formed independently at the bottom side of a ring body,and a penetrating hole is formed at the center of the ring body, and thering body has a n-shaped cross-section, and a bump is formed at anexternal side of the ring body, and provided for being embedded andlatched into an internal side of a wall of the turntable.
 4. Therotational mop of claim 1, wherein the connecting component includes aninstalling element and a latch element, and the installing elementincludes a pivoting base and a plurality of latch notches, and theinstalling element has an external periphery substantially larger thanthe connecting hole, such that the pivoting base is protruded out fromthe connecting hole, and the installing element is installed into thepenetrating hole; and the latch element includes a through hole andplurality of elastic latches, wherein after the pivoting base isprotruded out from the connecting hole and the through hole, the elasticlatch is latched into the latch notch, and the pivoting base and thepivoting head are engaged with each other into a pivotal connectionform, such that the turntable is clamped and fixed into the installingelement and the latch element.
 5. The rotational mop of claim 1, whereinthe connecting component is comprised of an installing body and at leastone latching body, and the installing body is pivotally coupled to thepivoting head by a lug base formed at the top side of the installingbody, and a concave circular gutter is formed at an external peripheryof the installing body, and the latching body is comprised of twosymmetric casings, and the latching body includes an embeddingsemicircular necking portion disposed on the internal side of thelatching body and opposite to the concave circular gutter, such thatwhen the two latching bodies are integrated with each other, the twolatching bodies are covered onto the external periphery of the concavecircular gutter to define a structure capable of rotating in 360 degreeswith respect to the handle, and the latching body includes a pluralityof latch portions disposed at the external periphery of the latchingbody and coupled with the plurality of latch holes disposed on theperiphery of the connecting hole for installing and fixing the latchingbody and the turntable, so that the turntable can be rotated in 360degrees with respect to the installing body and the handle.
 6. Therotational mop of claim 1, wherein the serrated element formed in an arcshape is installed between different insert holes.
 7. The rotational mopof claim 1, wherein the protruding pillar is connected with the inserthole by an adhering, latching, embedding, riveting, abutting, clampingor high-frequency welding method.
 8. The rotational mop of claim 1,wherein the handle is created by screwing a plurality of rods, and aprotective cover is positioned at the top of the handle.
 9. Therotational mop of claim 1, wherein the mop head further includes abottom protective base disposed at the bottom of the turntable, suchthat the bottom protective base can be rotated together with theturntable.
 10. The rotational mop of claim 4, wherein the pivoting baseis an elastic structure.
 11. The rotational mop of claim 4, wherein thepivoting base is a C-shaped buckle, and the pivoting head is a circularbump corresponding to the C-shaped buckle.
 12. The rotational mop ofclaim 4, wherein the pivoting base is formed in a shape of a lug basewhile the pivoting head consists of two lugs and a screw extending intothe lug base.